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TigrisEuphrates river system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TigrisEuphrates river system

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The TigrisEuphrates river system is part of the palearctic TigrisEuphrates alluvial salt marsh ecoregion, in the flooded grasslands and savannas biome, located in Western Asia.

TigrisEuphrates river system

Contents
1 Geography 2 General description 3 Ecological threats 4 Water dispute 5 Conservation 6 In media 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Marsh Arabs poling a mashoof in the marshes of southern Iraq Ecology Ecozone Biome Palearctic Flooded grasslands and savannas Geography Area 35,600 km2 (13,700 sq mi) Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran none Tigris, Euphrates, Greater Zab, Lesser Zab. subtropical, hot and arid Conservation Conservation status critical/endangered

Geography
The ecoregion is characterized by two large rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. The rivers have several small tributaries which feed into the system from shallow freshwater lakes, swamps, and marshes, all surrounded by desert. The hydrology of these vast marshes is extremely important to the ecology of the entire upper Persian Gulf. Historically, the area is known as Mesopotamia. As part of the larger Fertile Crescent, it saw the earliest emergence of literate urban civilization in the Uruk period, for which reason it is often dubbed the "Cradle of Civilization".
Country Oceans or seas Rivers Climate type

In the 1980s, this ecoregion was put in grave danger as the IranIraq War raged within its boundaries. The wetlands of Iraq, which were inhabited by the Marsh Arabs, were completely dried out, and have only recently shown signs of recovery. The TigrisEuphrates Basin is primarily shared by Turkey, Syria and Iraq, with many Tigris tributaries originating in Iran. Since the 1960s and in 1970s, when Turkey began the GAP project in earnest, water disputes have regularly occurred in addition to the associated dam's effects on the environment. In addition, Syrian and Iranian dam
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TigrisEuphrates river system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

construction has also contributed to political tension within the basin, particularly during drought.

General description
The general climate of the Salt Marsh is subtropical, hot and arid. At the northern end of the Persian Gulf is the vast floodplain of the Euphrates, Tigris, and Karun Rivers, featuring huge permanent lakes, marshes, and forest. The aquatic vegetation includes reeds, rushes, and papyrus, which support numerous species. Areas around the Tigris and the Euphrates are very fertile. Marshy land is home to water birds, some stopping here while migrating, and some spending the winter in these marshes living off the lizards, snakes, frogs, and fish. Other animals found in these marshes are water buffalo, two endemic rodent species, antelopes and gazelles and small animals such as the jerboa and several other mammals.

Ecological threats
Iraq suffers from desertification and soil salination due in large part to thousands of years of agricultural activity. Water and plant life are sparse. Saddam Hussein's government water-control projects drained the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting streams and rivers. Shi'a Muslims were displaced under the Ba'athist regime. The destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations. There are also inadequate supplies of potable water.
This visualization shows variations in total water storage from normal, in millimeters, in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, from January 2003 through December 2009. Reds represent drier conditions, while blues represent wetter conditions. The effects of the seasons are evident, as is the major drought that hit the region in 2007. The majority of the water lost was due to reductions in groundwater caused by human activities.

The marshlands were a fine and extensive natural wetlands ecosystem which developed over thousands of years in the TigrisEuphrates basin and once covered 1520,000 square kilometers. According to the United Nations Environmental Program and the AMAR Charitable Foundation, between 84% and 90% of the marshes have been destroyed since the 1970s. In 1994, 60 percent of the wetlands were destroyed by Hussein's regime drained to permit military access and greater political control of the native Marsh Arabs. Canals, dykes and dams were built routing the water of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around the marshes, instead of allowing water to move slowly through the marshland. After part of the Euphrates was dried up due to re-routing its water to the sea, a dam was built so water could not back up from the Tigris and sustain the former marshland. Some marshlands were burned and pipes buried underground helped to carry away water for quicker drying. The drying of the marshes led to the disappearance of the salt-tolerant vegetation; the plankton rich waters that fertilized surrounding soils; 52 native fish species; the wild boar, red fox, buffalo and water birds of the marsh habitat.

Water dispute
The issue of water rights became a point of contention for Iraq, Turkey and Syria beginning in the 1960s when Turkey implemented a public-works project (the GAP project) aimed at harvesting the water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers through the construction of 22 dams, for irrigation and hydroelectric energy purposes. Although the water dispute between Turkey and Syria was more problematic, the GAP project was also perceived as a threat
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by Iraq. The tension between Turkey and Iraq about the issue was increased by the effect of Syria and Turkey's participation in the UN embargo against Iraq following the Gulf War. However, the issue had never become as significant as the water dispute between Turkey and Syria.[1] The 2008 drought in Iraq sparked new negotiations between Iraq and Turkey over trans-boundary river flows. Although the drought affected Turkey, Syria and Iran as well, Iraq complained regularly about reduced water flows. Iraq particularly complained about the Euphrates River because of the large amount of dams on the river. Turkey agreed to increase the flow several times, beyond its means in order to supply Iraq with extra water. Iraq has seen significant declines in water storage and crop yields because of the drought. To make matters worse, Iraq's water infrastructure has suffered from years of conflict and neglect.[2] In 2008, Turkey, Iraq and Syria agreed to restart the Joint Trilateral Committee on water for the three nations for better water resources management. Turkey, Iraq and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding on September 3, 2009, in order to strengthen communication within the TigrisEuphrates Basin and to develop joint water-flowmonitoring stations. On September 19, 2009, Turkey formally agreed to increase the flow of the Euphrates River to 450 to 500 cu. cms., but only until October 20, 2009. In exchange, Iraq agreed to trade petroleum with Turkey and help curb Kurdish militant activity in their border region. One of Turkey's last large GAP dams on the Tigris the Ilisu Dam is strongly opposed by Iraq and is the source of political strife.[3]

Conservation
With the breaching of dikes by local communities subsequent to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and the ending of a four-year drought that same year, the process has been reversed and the marshes have experienced a substantial rate of recovery. The permanent wetlands now cover more than 50% of 1970s levels, with a remarkable regrowth of the Hammar and Hawizeh Marshes and some recovery of the Central Marshes.[4] Efforts to restore the marshes have led to signs of their gradual revivification as water is restored to the former desert, but the whole ecosystem may take far longer to restore than it took to destroy. Conservation status: critical/endangered Protected area Endemic species: Basra Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis), Iraq Babbler (Turdoides altirostris) Threatened species: Basra Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis) - endangered Extinct species: subspecies of rat and another of otter

In media
Dawn of the World, film, 2008. Zaman, The Man From The Reeds, film, 2003

See also
Soil salination Mesopotamian Marshes Shatt al-Arab
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References
1. ^ Uzgel I., 1992. GVENSZLK GEN: TRKYE, SURYE, IRAK VE SU SORUNU, MLKYELLER BRL DERGS, 162, p.47-52 2. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54M0XG20090523 Turkey lets more water out of dams to Iraq: MP 3. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giDgd3ukLR8UcfziUQcNToKyM_tw Turkey to up Euphrates flow to Iraq 4. ^ Iraqi Marshlands: Steady Progress to Recovery (http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/poster/images/iraqi_marshlandsb) (UNEP)

External links
Persian Gulf image (http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov//2256/PersianGulf.A2001305_250m.jpg) BBC: Iraq marshes' recovery 'in doubt' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5295044.stm)

(//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Paleartic_flooded_grasslands_and_savannas&action=edit) Palearctic Flooded grasslands and savannas

Amur meadow steppe Bohai Sea saline meadow Nenjiang River grassland Nile Delta flooded savanna Saharan halophytics Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh

China, Russia China China Egypt Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Tunisia, Western Sahara Iraq, Iran

Ussuri-Wusuli meadow and forest China, Russia meadow Yellow Sea saline meadow China

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